tuesday morning brief

2017-10-3

Good morning.

It is 11:50 PM in Pyongyang.

The Trump administration has officials trying to smooth over differences between Mr. Tillerson and Trump. The Trump line is that diplomacy via direct talking is over. I question how change is intended to occur.....http://www.gulf-times.com/story/566018

The official transcript of the Secretary's remarks is here. It only confirms to me that Trump is unreliable and looking for war.

Putin calls for restraint. Note that Russia borders North Korea on the far northeast. If war breaks out, it will certainly force Russia to address it. Like China, Russia largely benefits from a stable peninsula. One wonders if Putin has buyer's remorse over Trump's election.http://tass.com/politics/968636

The twitter account claiming to be FM Ri of North Korea keeps posting that NK wants normal relations and recognitiion as a nuclear state. While I have no confirmation of that account, it at least harmonizes with typical Communist propaganda.

Saw my first well-designed pro-war meme come through; looks like it first was cooked up in April.

There's a set of complaints that Trump is being "Weak" for not starting the war already.

Summary
The Trump administration is incoherent and pulling in two different directions: peace (Mattis, Tillerson) and war (Trump). Trump, regrettably, is harder to fire than Mattis or Tillerson.